Drumroll Please....

My online shop is up and running!!!



I can hardly believe I've actually accomplished this - I think I'm still in the "somebody pinch me" stage. It's funny to me, and probably to every other crafter/baker/designer/etc. out there who's done the same, that when I first started this blog I had absolutely no intention of selling the things I make; it was more of a place to share and occasionally teach. Then, I'm sitting there one morning amidst a table full of craft stuff and a little niggle of an idea starts to take shape (which i immediately push down cause i mean, really, who am i kidding) and then a little while after that a good friend (you know who you are lovey) says, "you know, you should really sell your stuff," and I'm like, "no. that's silly. it's not like I'm a professional crafter." then, "you really think i should?" then, "you really think i could?" And then....you do it. You just jump in and you do it. And it's crazy and fun and frustrating at times when you're learning the process and when you want to just keep on working late into the night but you have to stop and pick up you kids from school and make dinner, and spend time with your family and make love to your husband, and talk to your mom on the phone and....shower for goodness sake!

Then...you sit there, like I am right now, early in the morning surrounded by a quiet house and craft supplies (because guess what I was doing last night...) and you sip on the coffee that you drove out to get at 6:30 (excitement gets me up early) and you watch the day take shape through your open windows and you think....I did it. On my own. At 43. Amidst doubt and in spite of circumstance. Yep.

Okay, so all that to say that if you've thought about opening up a shop, well sister (or brother - i know you're out there too), you just pick up that mat and walk...

I hope you'll drop by and visit my shop ~ MiGi handmade ~ when you have a moment. I don't have any sort of specialty, I'm too much of a flibbertigibbet to focus on anything in particular, so you'll see various and sundry items at any given time; from jewelry to handmade buttons, to garlands, to household items.







WOW! Who knew, right? Be sure to "like" the shop on facebook and check in often because I'll be having specials and give-aways each month.

Button Up Baby!

I can't exactly remember the first time I encountered anything made with salt dough. I have a vague memory of being with my aunt at some sort of community center when I was a kid and she was taking a class where it was used to make things like woven bread bowls and precious moments-like naked people; garlic presses used to make hair for them from the dough. Everything got baked, er....um.... burnt, and then it was all coated with heavy layers of shellac. I think I tried to eat it .

Needless to say, this humble little dough has come a long way since then in it's ways to be transformed. This past December, I used it to make some little ornaments for our tree and just recently, I decided to make some more and turn it into buttons!



I made up a batch of salt dough, gathered up a couple of little cookie cutters, some burlap and a little button I had in my stash. I used these last two items to give a bit of pattern to my buttons. If you make these (or anything else with sd that you want to stamp) be sure to stamp your pattern into the dough before you cut it.






After they were stamped, I used a large paper clip to make the holes then cut them out. I baked them at 170 degrees for an hour then let them air dry for a couple of days. Once they were dry, I sanded off any rough bits and started painting them. I used two colors of acrylic paint; the base coat I just rubbed on with my finger and then once that was dry, I added a little water to the other color, brushed it over the entire button then wiped some off so that the base color would show through. Once that was dry, I finished them off with a coat of fast drying clear nail polish. I know...I'm high tech over here.





I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with these little pretties just yet; I'm thinking about a fastening for a hand knitted wrap bracelet I'm working on or as a little somethin' somethin' on my packaging when someone purchases something from my shop. Oh yeah....I'm getting ready to launch my online store. Crazy right? Cool though. And super exciting! Keep a weathered eye...

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Vintage Kitchen Art

Sometimes a creative idea will start to swirl around in my head. Just a little niggle at first; something quick and fleeting that gets tucked away in my mental 'to do' list. Then I'll play around with something new and think, "hey, I could try this when I make....". Or I'll see something fun and vintagey when I'm out window shopping and think, "oooo...that could look really great if it was laid on top of...., or wrapped up in...."

You know how it is.

So...taking inspiration from some of my favorite things to create with ~ embroidery hoops and burlap and tarnished silverware and old knobs and distressed painting ~ this little beauty has finally come to fruition.



I'm totally in love with it. Looks great in the kitchen or in a grouping on the wall of a living room or down a hallway. I thought about adding some text somewhere on it but then decided I liked the untouched simplicity of the silverware all by itself; it's subtle luster more than enough to draw the eye.


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